Martha Wainwright @ Shepherds Bush Empire

17th August 2007
Taking a break from selected festival appearances this year, Martha Wainwright was in London for a one off gig. She promised many new songs and she delivered that promise with her instantly recognizable mourning voice that either saves the souls or breaks the hearts. Seeing Martha live is a completely different experience to listening to her on CD. On stage she lives every word she sings. One could identify this with the time Bjork ate her dress while at the set of Dancer in the Dark. There is so much emotion; from sorrow to joy, regret to pride and combined with the voice it turns into this scene which you can't take your eyes of - you do not want to miss a second of it.

The new songs are in the same direction of the old ones. Personal stories of pain and loss and hope are covered in songs such as Bleeding All Over You and George, a song she wrote about a friend who committed suicide. With guest appearances from Pete Townsend and Rachel Fuller who covers the Eels' It's A Motherfucker, the evening gets spiced up. Eels' is not the only act covered, Martha takes on Annie Lennox's Love Is A Stranger. Everytime she sings "...and I want you..." crowd melts a little bit more, however she points out she is now taken. The evening comes to an end with the introduction of tequilla and the appropriate song to go with it - GPT -, followed by the now anthemic BMFA and the jaw dropping rendition of Dis Quand Reviendras-Tu? confirming her state as an amazing performer and perhaps a future icon like Edith Piaf.

Check Official Martha Wainwright website for tour info
Martha's Myspace page
For more photos from the show, check out YouNeedToSeeThese

Smashing Pumpkins @ Shepherds Bush Empire

19th June 2007
In the awake of the new "Smashing Pumpkins" album Zeitgeist, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain along with newly recruited members reminded us why SP was once the world's best band.

Taking the stage at 8pm without any support acts, the band performed for 3 hours. There was moshing, real moshing among crowd shouting the names of billy and jimmy then there were cool downs with acoustic songs and ballads and sing-a-longs. We also got a taste of Zeitgeist which sees Billy going back to raw guitars and drums instead of synths and keyboards. The setlist consisted of Cherub Rock, Disarm, Today, Shame, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 33, Zero, Silverfuck, Stand Inside Your Love, 1979, Tonight Tonight, Rocket and many others while playing Zeitgeist in full. It is a welcome return of the band. Even though it's not the original line up as long as you have Billy singing like an innocent child one minute and the howl in a way that gives you goosebumps you know you are in safe hands.

Catch The Smashing Pumpkins headlining at Carling Reading/Leeds Festival in August.
For more info check out the Official Site and Myspace
for more photos of the band, see YouNeedToSeeThese